So when John Courage sealed a surprise City Council victory two years ago on the North Side, there was an impression among many that he might become a sitting duck.

Courage, who had previously run for a slew of offices on the Democratic ticket, was now in the District 9 seat that has been a rare conservative stronghold at City Hall, one that counts Joe Krier, Elisa Chan and Kevin Wolff as alumni.

Most expected a moderate, business-backed conservative to try to turn Courage into a one-term council member.

That didn’t happen.

Instead, Courage will seek to fend off challenges from Patrick Von Dohlen, a social conservative and financial adviser who narrowly missed a runoff for the seat two years ago; Nicholas Balderas, a 24-year-old software developer; and Richard Reza Versaće, a personal trainer.

“I find that very surprising,” said Wolff, now the lone Republican on the Bexar County Commissioners Court. “John Courage is a great guy, but from a philosophical perspective, he doesn’t really match District 9.”

District 9 candidates

John Courage, incumbent

Age: 67

Occupation: Retired teacher

Family: Married, four children

Education: Bachelor’s, UTSA; master’s, Walden University

In his own words: “I want to continue to be your neighbor on the City Council and advocate for your concerns.”

Nicholas Balderas

Age: 24

Occupation: Software developer, H-E-B

Family: Not married

Education: Smithson Valley High School

In his own words: “I decided to run because I feel like we’ve hit a wall. We’ve kind of been operating in the status quo.”

Richard Reza Versaće

Age: 62

Occupation: Personal trainer

Family: Not married; two children

Education: Bachelor’s, San Antonio College; master’s, UTSA

In his own words: “I feel more. A lot of politicians don’t feel, they just say it because they’re reading from a script.”

Patrick Von Dohlen

Age: 49

Occupation: Financial adviser

Family: Married; nine children

Education: Bachelor’s, Texas A&M University

In his own words: “We need somebody to represent District 9 who knows what’s it like to employ people, to cut a check.”

Read More

But Wolff said Courage has been able to embed himself in the community and deliver on key services.

“He’s a very responsive councilman. He listens to them and he acts on things,” Wolff said. “I think that’s indicative of what council governments are supposed to be. They’re not supposed to be partisan.”

Marco Barros, Courage’s business-backed opponent in the past runoff, has endorsed him in this contest.

“I’ve watched him, and he has kept his promises,” Barros said. “I’m very pleased with him.”

To vote in the May 4 elections, San Antonio residents must register by April 4.

Here are the District 9 candidates, in the order they will appear on the ballot:

Nicholas Balderas,24, is a software developer for H-E-B making his first run for office. He said he would focus on easing traffic congestion in the North Side district, fostering “smart development” and giving neighborhoods a bigger voice in zoning decisions.

Balderas said one of the first things he would do if elected is create a new layer of advisory committees for the city’s zoning commission. He said he’d like voters to elect neighborhood representatives to smaller councils that can then advise the commission, which advises the City Council.

“I think it’s important that as the city continues to grow, people are involved in their own communities and have a say in what happens in their communities,” Balderas said. “They absolutely have to be able to vocalize their opinions on these issues.”

Balderas said his reason for running isn’t that he’s dissatisfied with Courage’s job performance.

“I just feel I’m unique from John Courage and bring something different to the council,” he said.

John Courage, 67, a retired teacher, is the incumbent seeking a second term. Courage said he’s proud of his first two years on the council and wants to continue that service into a new term.

Courage pointed to his work in participatory budgeting, an effort in which his office seeks input from constituents about where to best allocate District 9 dollars, and then the community votes on certain projects. In the past, that’s led to Courage allocating funds for a left-turn lane near Huebner and Loop 1604 and purchasing six new bicycles for police.

Of late, he’s also pushing for a homestead exemption for property taxpayers. The city currently doesn’t offer one, and it’s the only major city in Texas that doesn’t. Courage said he’s a fiscal conservative.

If re-elected, Courage said, he wants to continue overseeing some bond projects in District 9, including a new park, a senior center and increased connectivity on busy roads such as Huebner.

“(Traffic) is a big issue, every day, with everyone I talk to,” he said.

Richard Reza Versaće, 62, is a personal trainer making his first run for office. Reza Versaće said one of his biggest priorities would be combatting obesity and improving nutrition in schools.

“I see a lot of things that I can do for my community, and I don’t see it being done,” he said. “Nutrition at schools is horrible, and I can help with that.”

If elected, Reza Versaće said he would try to target high school nutrition programs and implement a “meatless Monday” option. He said he would also try to develop free web seminars to teach San Antonians how to cook and practice tai chi.

“You are what you eat, and you are what you think,” he said.

Reza Versaće would also seek to take action on homelessness, increase the minimum wage and try to strengthen gun control measures.

Patrick Von Dohlen, 49, is making his second consecutive bid for the District 9 seat. He finished third two years ago, narrowly missing the runoff.

Von Dohlen said he’s running on a simple platform: smaller government, less taxes and more freedom.

“We have a city council that’s becoming progressively more agenda-driven,” Von Dohlen said, adding that the city should return to its core duties, “which is to provide basic city services and be great at it.”

Unlike Barros, he doesn’t think Courage is cutting it in that regard. Von Dohlen said he would use his business acumen — he is a financial adviser — to seek out areas where the city is taking on unnecessary expenses.

Von Dohlen has garnered attention in the past for his stances on social issues, including his opposition to the city’s nondiscrimination ordinance and his support for the state’s so-called bathroom bill that would have required people using public restrooms to use the one that corresponds with their sex at birth.

He was a founding board member and former chair of the San Antonio Family Association, which encourages gay people to “seek assistance” on its website.

He said Thursday that he does not share all the organization’s views. He declined to endorse that view in particular, though he said people should have the option to seek conversion therapy if they want to.

“The healthiest thing for people, from a marriage perspective, is to go with natural law,” he said, referring to heterosexual marriage.

Dylan McGuinness is a reporter for the Houston Chronicle through the Hearst Journalism Fellowship program. He previously covered City Hall and local politics for the San Antonio Express-News.

He covered the hard-fought 23rd District congressional race between Will Hurd and Gina Ortiz-Jones in 2018 and the special state Senate election to replace Carlos Uresti. He’s also covered goings-on at the sheriff’s department and Bexar County Commissioners Court.

McGuinness previously covered the Rhode Island statehouse for the Associated Press and breaking news for the Boston Globe. He grew up in Connecticut, graduated from Northeastern University in Boston, and is a die-hard Red Sox fan.